Thursday, March 11, 2010

Mes Bras



Words: Alain Bashung/Jean Fauque
Music: Alain Bashung/Mobile in Motion

Translation dedicated to Jean Fauque, his favorite song...

J'étais censé t'étourdir
i was supposed to knock you out
Sans aviron sans élixir
Without oar without elixir
J'étais censé te soustraire
I was supposed to subtract you
À la glu
From the glue

Les impasses
The impasses
Les grands espaces
The big spaces
Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
Une étoile sur le point de s'éteindre
A star at the point of going out

J'étais censé te ravir
I was supposed to steal you away
À la colère de Dieu
From the anger of God

La douceur d'un blindé
The softness of the shielded
Le remède à l'oubli
The remedy of forgetting
Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
Mes bras connaissent
My arms know

Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
La menace du futur
The menace of the future
Les délices qu'on ampute
The delights that one amputates
Pour l'amour d'une connasse
For the love of some idiot

J'étais censé t'encenser
I was supposed to incense you
Mes hélices se sont lassées
¹
My helices were weary¹
De te porter aux nues
From carrying you to the clouds
Je me tue à te dire
I am killing myself trying to tell you
Qu'on ne va pas mourir
That we're not going to die

Sauve toi
Save yourself
Sauve moi
Save me
Et tu sauras où l'acheter le courage
²
And you will know where the courage is to buy it

J'étais censé t'étourdir
I was supposed to knock you out
Sans aviron sans élixir
Without oar without elixir
J'étais censé te couvrir
I was supposed to cover you
À l'approche des cyclones
During the approach of cyclones

Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
Sur le bout des doigts
At the ends of the fingers

La promesse d'un instant
The promise of an instant
La descente aux enfers
The descent into hell
Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
Mes bras mesurent la distance
My arms are measuring the distance

Sauve toi
Save yourself
Sauve moi
Save me
Et tu sauras où l'acheter le courage
And you will know where the courage is to buy it

J'étais censé t'étourdir
I was supposed to knock you out
Sans aviron sans élixir
Without oar without elixir
J'étais censé t'extraire
I was supposed to extract
Le pieu dans le coeur
The stake in your heart
Qui t'empêche de courir
That keeps you from running away

Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
Une étoile sur le point de s'éteindre
A star at the point of going out

Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
Sur le bout des doigts
At the ends of the fingers

Mes bras connaissent
My arms know

Mes bras connaissent
My arms know
Une étoile sur le point de s'éteindre
A star at the point of going out

Mes bras connaissent
My arms know

Sauve toi
Save yourself
Sauve moi
Save me

Mes bras connaissent
My arms know



¹ "My helices were weary", corkscrews, spirals; may be referring to Curschmann's spirals, which are coiled, basophilic plugs of mucus formed in the lower airways and found in sputum and tracheal washings, indicating chronic obstruction.

² "où l'acheter le courage" ("where the courage is to buy it") - word play with "lacheté", cowardess, side by side with courage




3 comments:

Arnaud C. said...

I recently read a biography of Alain Bashung. His friend and Jean Fauque told the writer that at the end of the recording of this song A. bashung was literally crying. Amazing

Laura Tattoo said...

thanks so much for both your comments, arnaud. loving the radio series and the "interviews intégrales", so much insight! one of a.b.'s cousins believes that this song was written for his mother. it's so profound, all of "l'imprudence" is. xoxooxox

John said...

I think 'hélices' may refer to the propellers of a helicopter. Sadly we will never know. "Porter aux nues" also means, figuratively, "praise to the skies"

Hadn't spotted the "l'acheter" pun though - nice!